I'm looking for a free or inexpensive Windows-based network monitoring tool for a small network. I'm familiar with Nagios, but we run a Windows-only shop and I don't want one oddball Linux machine to worry about. What options do I have?

(Note: I read this question, but I'm specifically looking for Windows software)

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Yeah... I know... you want Windows. I'm assuming that even a Linux VM is out of the question. What about one of the monitoring appliances? I think some companies make a Nagios appliance... On a side-note, I'm a Linux admin, but my group also runs a bunch of Windows servers, and even a few Mac Xserves and a few Solaris boxes. Just because your company designs and manufactures screwdrivers, and you have a million in stock, doesn't mean you should use one to put a nail in the wall.
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Jason AntmanJan 28 '11 at 2:49

SpiceWorks is both amazing for a Windows environment general reporting and monitoring tool but will also give you an integrated helpdesk and access to an amazing community of professionals in similar environments on which you can draw for additional assistance both with SpiceWorks and with IT in general!
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Scott Alan MillerJun 6 '09 at 18:09

+1 Spiceworks, but many of the commented below are very good too.
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CarlosNov 30 '10 at 10:48

One of the best I've used is PRTG from Paessler. It is relatively cheap for a small number of servers. They charge based on the number of things being monitored (ping, free disk, cpu load etc). It's completely web-based and no agents are required. It comes with a load of predefined WMI queries and of course you can define your own (they supply templates you can modify). Plenty of charting and reporting available to impress management.

I like IPMonitor, it's cheap and you can monitor servers, switches, SMTP, any service or event and you can build dependancies so you won't get alerted by a hundred servers if it's just a switch that is down between your server with IPMonitor and the other servers.

Personally, I've used IPMonitor (new user, can't Link yet) (It was it's own company, got bought by SolarWinds some time ago). I've also heard of Nagios (can't link yet) depending on what OS you use and how ninja you are with *nix and open source.

IP Monitor is pretty straightforward, offers logging and historical reporting, and even does things like remote restarts, etc. I manage a MESH Network, and it's pretty handy for keeping track of remote routers and backhaul links. The number of red cells (downed nodes) generally is a pretty good forecast of the quality of my day! :)

One thing to be aware of, is that three years after Vista and two years after Server 2008 came out, many system admin programs, including network monitors, don't work properly under the new security environment introduced by both OS's. This is known as the "Session 0 Problem" and it afflicts Windows programs that run as a service (many, many admin programs!)

I have to abandon a program I love for the poster's problem (and mine)--Servers Alive--since the current version has the "Session 0 Problem" and the developer doesn't know when the next version will be out.

My shop is a non-profit org for whom $1200, let alone the $10,000 for Orion, is very high for what it needs to do (essentially page me when something goes down.) Linux is the odd OS out for me.

If a vendor can't assure me that they've fixed the Session 0 Problem and made it fully compatible with Windows 2008 (R2), we're not going to put forth the money. That makes it especially hard to find a good program.

We use What's Up Gold (WUG) for internally and to monitor our clients sites. It's not free, but it's relatively inexpensive (I think about $1200), easy to set up, and monitors just about everything, disk space, CPU load, etc. With a little scripting we monitor connections to outside services such as Medicare and Medicaid.

My suggestions:
1. OpenDNS, you only need to redirect your DNS server to a OpenDNS server to enable filtering. It is free, however, you can only have one policy for the whole network.

Untangle, basic web filtering is free. If you have a spare computer with two nic cards and a little bit of time after hours (this computer needs to sit between your firewall and your internet router/connection ) I would suggest trying this product:
http://www.untangle.com/

WFilter Enterprise, a windows internet filtering program with rich feature at an affordable price, it enables you to monitor and filter most internet usage from a mirroring port of your switch. It is very simple to setup when you have a manageable switch.